Before & After: A Dirty, Dated Kitchen Gets Cleaned Up

While it might not look that dirty from the photos, reader Rachel writes that when she and her husband, Robert, moved back into her childhood home after her father passed away, it took a lot of clean up.

“To say the house was outdated and dirty would be a massive understatement,” she says. With some elbow grease and new fixtures and appliances this old kitchen is now barely recognizable.

(Image credit: Rachel Kane)

Doesn’t the kitchen look so much more up to date now? Here’s the run down of all the changes Rachel and Robert made:

Replaced tile flooring with solid hickory

Put in new IKEA cabinets

Replaced a broken window over the sink

Added a new stainless steel sink

Replaced the muddy granite counter tops with carrera marble

Replaced the white subway tile back splash with a herringbone carrera mosaic

Replaced the fluorescent light box with two new fixtures

Replaced the fridge with a new French door Electrolux

Replaced the old stove with a Bertazzoni range

Replaced the old dishwasher with a Bosch

Added Legrand adorne touch screen dimmers

Painted and replaced door to laundry room

(Image credit: Rachel Kane)

We especially love the herringbone backsplash tile, which came from Ann Sacks. Such a wonderful update to Rachel’s childhood home.